Dashavatara : Introduction

Kurma (2nd Incarnation)

Kurma Avatar :

Overview :

Kurma Avatar is the second avatar of Lord Vishnu, which appeared during the Satya Yuga. In this incarnation, Lord Vishnu took the form of a giant turtle to save the earth from destruction . Kurma Avatar is depicted in the water, holding up the mount Mandara, which was chosen as the churning rod during the manthan, upon which Lord Vishnu is seated himself.  (Important)

Kurma Avatar (Story)

The Kurma Avatar is the second incarnation of Lord Vishnu, who took the form of a tortoise to help the gods and demons churn the ocean of milk. The gods and demons were in a war for the nectar of immortality, which was lost in the ocean. Lord Vishnu advised them to cooperate and use Mount Mandara as a churning rod and the serpent Vasuki as a rope. However, as they started churning, the mountain began to sink into the ocean. To prevent this, Lord Vishnu assumed the form of a giant tortoise and supported the mountain on his back. He also balanced the churning by pulling the serpent from both sides. As a result, many divine gifts emerged from the ocean, such as Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, Kamadhenu, the wish-fulfilling cow, Airavata, the elephant of Indra, and Kalpavriksha, the tree of life. Finally, Dhanvantari, the god of medicine, appeared with a pot of nectar in his hands. The demons snatched the pot and ran away, but Lord Vishnu took another form of Mohini, a beautiful woman, and tricked them into giving it back to him. He then distributed the nectar among the gods, who drank it and became immortal. Thus, Lord Vishnu helped the gods defeat the demons and restore order in the universe.

What is Kurma Puran?

The Kurma Puran is one of the eighteen major Puranas, which are ancient Hindu scriptures that narrate the history, mythology, cosmology, and theology of Hinduism. The Kurma Puran is named after the Kurma Avatar, the second incarnation of Lord Vishnu, who took the form of a tortoise to help the gods and demons churn the ocean of milk.

The Kurma Puran contains various topics related to Hinduism, such as creation, geography, pilgrimage, ethics, rituals, festivals, yoga, philosophy, and devotion. Some of the notable contents of the Kurma Puran are:

- The story of how Lord Vishnu created Brahma and Shiva from his navel and forehead respectively, and how they performed their roles of creation, preservation, and destruction.
- The story of how Lord Vishnu incarnated as Kurma to support Mount Mandara on his back during the churning of the ocean of milk, and how various divine gifts emerged from the ocean, such as Lakshmi, Kamadhenu, Airavata, Kalpavriksha, and Dhanvantari.
- The story of how Lord Vishnu incarnated as Mohini to deceive the demons and distribute the nectar of immortality among the gods.
- The story of how Lord Shiva drank the poison that came out of the ocean of milk and became Neelkantha (the blue-throated one).
- The story of how Lord Shiva married Parvati, the daughter of Himavan (the king of mountains), and how they had two sons, Ganesha and Kartikeya.
- The story of how Lord Shiva taught the Ishvaragita (the song of God) to Parvati, which is a philosophical discourse on the nature of reality, the self, and liberation.
- The description of various sacred places (tirthas) in India, such as Kashi, Prayaga, Gaya, Mathura, Dwarka, Badarikashrama, Kanchi, Avanti, Ujjaini, and others.
- The description of various rituals (vidhis) for worshiping different deities (devatas), such as Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti, Ganesha, Surya, Skanda, and others.
- The description of various festivals (utsavas) celebrated by Hindus throughout the year, such as Makara Sankranti, Holi, Rama Navami, Krishna Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi, Navratri, Dussehra, Diwali, Kartik Purnima, and others.
- The description of various types of yoga (yogas), such as karma yoga (the yoga of action), bhakti yoga (the yoga of devotion), jnana yoga (the yoga of knowledge), raja yoga (the yoga of meditation), and others.
- The description of various aspects of devotion (bhakti) to God (Ishvara), such as faith (shraddha), love (prema), service (seva), surrender (prapatti), and others.

The Kurma Puran is a valuable source of knowledge for Hindus who want to learn more about their religion and culture. It is also a fascinating text for anyone who is interested in exploring the rich and diverse traditions of Hinduism.

Fig : Gita Press's Kurma Puran

Fig : Kurma Avatar